SzSA YearBook 2018/19

SZENT-GYÖRGYI JUNIOR MENTORS
MÁRTA JULIANNA SÁRKÖZY
University of Szeged,
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry,
Metabolic Diseases and Cell Signalling Group (MEDICS)
Address: Dóm tér 9., H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
RESEARCH AREA
Left ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis and diastolic
dysfunction are characteristic features of heart failure with
preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) which is common in the
early phase of chronic heart failure. General causes of HFpEF
are arterial hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and
diabetes mellitus (DM), etc. It also develops in radiationinduced
heart disease (RIHD) which is a late consequence
of radiotherapy of thoracic tumors. Our aim is to investigate
and compare the molecular mechanisms of left ventricular
hypertrophy and fibrosis developed as a consequence
of different underlying diseases. The identification of the
early predictors and prevention of hypertrophy and fibrosis
by the administration of protective agents are relevant
research perspectives both experimentally and clinically.
In our experiments, we investigate the heart function
and morphology, the molecular changes in the cardiac
microRNA/mRNA profiles and down-stream targets as well
as the circulating microRNAs, and we test new agents for
the prevention of fibrosis and left ventricular hypertrophy.
Moreover, the hypertrophic heart is more prone to ischemia.
In the industrialized countries, the acute myocardial
infarction is the leading cause of mortality. Therefore, the
ischemic adaptation of the hypertrophic heart is also in the
focus of our research group. We investigate the effects of
ischemic preconditioning, postconditioning, and remote
conditioning on the infarct size in our hypertrophy and
fibrosis models.
TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE IN THE LAB
Induction and treatment of disease models (e.g. CKD,
DM, RIHD) in experimental animals, assessment of
cardiac function and morphology by transthoracic
echocardiography, oral glucose tolerance test, Langendorff
heart perfusion, induction of acute myocardial infarction,
ischemic conditioning techniques, determination of
infarct size, histological analysis, general biochemical and
molecular biology methods (colorimetric assays, qRT-PCR,
ELISA, etc.) to determine metabolites (e.g. serum glucose,
urea, creatinine, urine protein, etc.), microRNA, mRNA,
proteins and enzyme activities (e.g. creatine kinase, lactate
dehydrogenase, etc.))
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Sárközy, M., Gáspár, R., Zvara, Á., Siska, A., Kővári, B.,
Szűcs, G., Márványkövi, F., Kovács, M.G., Diószegi, P., Bodai,
L., Zsindely, N., Pipicz, M., Gömöri, K., Kiss, K., Bencsik, P.,
Cserni, G., Puskás, L.G., Földesi, I., Thum, T., Bátkai, S., Csont,
T. (2019) Chronic kidney disease induces left ventricular
overexpression of the pro-hypertrophic microRNA-212. Sci
Rep. 9: 1302.
Sárközy, M., Kovács, Z.Z.A., Kovács, M.G., Gáspár, R., Szűcs,
G., Dux, L. (2018) Mechanisms and Modulation of Oxidative/
Nitrative Stress in Type 4 Cardio-Renal Syndrome and Renal
Sarcopenia. Front Physiol. 9: 1648.
Sárközy, M., Szűcs, G., Fekete, V., Pipicz, M., Éder, K., Gáspár,
R., Sója, A., Pipis, J., Ferdinandy, P., Csonka, C., Csont, T. (2016)
Transcriptomic alterations in the heart of non-obese type
2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rats. Cardiovasc Diabetol 15: 110.
Sárközy, M., Zvara, A., Gyémánt, N., Fekete, V., Kocsis, G.F.,
Pipis, J., Szűcs, G., Csonka, C., Puskás, L.G., Ferdinandy, P.,
Csont, T. (2013) Metabolic syndrome influences cardiac
gene expression pattern at the transcript level in male ZDF
rats. Cardiovasc Diabetol 12: 16.
Kocsis G.F.*, Sárközy, M.*, Bencsik, P., Pipicz, M., Varga,
Z.V., Pálóczi, J., Csonka, C., Ferdinandy, P., Csont, T. (2012)
Preconditioning protects the heart in a prolonged uremic
condition. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 303: H1229-
1236.
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